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Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa

Healthy, easy slow cooker enchilada quinoa . Just set it and forget it for a cheesy, protein-packed crock pot meal the whole family will love!

This may very well be my new favorite dish of all time. And if not all time, certainly the past 93 hours. That means it’s competing with Mom’s Christmas ham – shh! don’t tell.

Sometimes (read: pretty much every day of my life) I need an easy, practically zero-work recipe that I know I can count on to be absolutely 100% delicious to feed my Mexican food obsession. Slow cooker enchilada quinoa, you are heaven sent. Literally five minutes of prep means I can forget it for a few hours and come back when it’s ready to be devoured.

See that picture up there? ^^^ There’s a lot of yum happening in that crock pot and it lasted us several days since there’s just two of us in this here humble abode, which means leftovers for dayzzz and I could not be more happy about that. If there’s one thing I love more than freshly made cheesy quinoa smothered in enchilada sauce and stuffed with corn and black beans, it’s one or two day old cheesy quinoa smothered in enchilada sauce and stuffed with corn and black beans.

I ate this stuff for breakfast. Yes. Cheesy enchilada quinoa for breakfast. It’s a thing that will be happening again friends.

Tiffany

Donna

Tiffany

Bettina S.

I threw this together last night and put it in the fridge. I started it in the morning around 7:00 and turned it off at 2:30- it was a fantastic dinner tonight! I added pieces of avocado, some sliced black olives, and a dollop of light sour cream. I’ve already passed this on to two friends and will definitely make this again!

Tiffany

Hi Sarah, you could add it at the beginning. You could either add diced or chopped pieces in at the beginning, or you could add whole chicken breasts (I would place them on the bottom of the pot and add everything on top) and then just kind of fish them out at the end with tongs or a fork and then shred them with two forks before adding right back to the pot and giving it a good stir. 🙂

Anilise Stewart

I’ve been in love with this recipe since I saw the picture. It’s almost dinner time and I snuck a taste…..YUMMY! Serving with tortilla rolls and chips for those that don’t want to eat it like a chili. Amazing post. THANK YOU!

Meredith

Tiffany

I’ve had some comments from other readers with success adding in meat! If you’re doing ground chicken or beef, I’d just brown it up on the stove for a couple of minutes and then throw it into the crockpot with all of the ingredients at the beginning! 🙂

Brandi

Sarah

Making this for a friend’s bday lunch at work and can’t wait! Do you chunk up the cream cheese or try and soften it to mix with the other ingredients before turning the crockpot on or does it take care of itself and mix in well enough while cooking?
Looks awesome, thanks for the recipe!

Alison

Tiffany

Jessica Boone

Made this tonight for dinner.. and it was delicious! Before adding the remaining sauce and cheese, I cooked it on high for 3 hours, stirred it a couple times while cooking, and then put the remaining enchilada sauce and cheese on top and let it cook on low for another hour. I split it up into 7 servings and I calculated it out to around 350 calories per serving (using full fat cream cheese).

Elisa

Made this over spring break for some of my friends since we were all taking classes and needed a little cheering up. I was worried cause it was me cooking for three guys, but they didn’t even question the lack of meat. They used it as burrito filling and they all got thirds, and then they knocked on my door the next morning and invited themselves in for leftovers. Great recipe, really really yummy, easy to make, and great flavors. It’s a crowd pleaser for sure .

Tiffany

Ha! Your story reminds me of my freshman-sophomore years in college. We had a group of guys who would stop in and we’d feed them nearly every day!! I don’t know how we kept up with their appetites haha. So glad you and your friends all loved this – it’s honestly one of my very favorite recipes! 🙂

STACIE BATEMAN

Made this for dinner tonight and it was AMAZING! I’m newly vegetarian and I try to go vegan as much as possible. I subbed out vegan cream cheese and stuck with the one cup of real mexican cheese. I seriously started eating it right out of the crock pot. Next time, I’m going to try using some vegan cheese in it as well and see how it turns out. It was a bit spicy for my kids, so I may try plain diced tomatoes as well. WINNER!

Lauren

Made this last night and it was soo good! I browned some ground turkey and dumped that in, too, and it turned out amazingly well! You weren’t kidding when you said leftovers for daysssss because I have enough for me to eat for the next 5 meals (and I could not be happier about that!)!! Thanks for the awesome recipe!

Kylee Nordell

V

I don’t have a slow-cooker so I am wondering if just cooking the quinoa separately would work?Then I was thinking that I’d mix the cooked quinoa with the rest of the ingredients and then pop it into a 350 degree preheated oven until the cheese gets all melty…an enchilada quinoa bake, if you will. Looks amazing btw.

Jody

This was SO delicious, thanks for sharing! I love anything that I can throw in the crockpot and forget about for a few hours. I swapped out the sour cream for greek yogurt and added the cumin and garlic powder like you suggested. It tasted just as great the next day as leftovers. Thanks again!

Samantha

Tiffany

stephanie

Flavor was great. I served a slice of fish and corn tortilla on the side for a sort of fish taco. Just know the cream cheese does not disperse during cooking, so you can dice into small chunks around the crock. Definitely making again. I think this would be a great way to make taco salads too!

Brian

For those who were confused about the cream cheese, I just wanted to say that I put it in a bowl and nuked it in the microwave for 20 seconds. Then I tested for softness and nuked it for another 20 seconds. When it was extremely soft, I put it in the slow cooker with all the ingredients and stirred. It mixed in with everything just fine.

Tiffany

ydelle

Lindsi

This is cooking in my crockpot as I write this. I did use myfitnesspal to calculate the macros for this dish. I did add chicken and few other seasonings as well.
6 Servings
Calories: 426
Carbs: 46
Protein: 30
Fat: 14
Iron: 27
Fiber: 9

It will vary depending on the brand you use of course. Hope this helps those who wanted to know. Thank you for a great recipe, I can’t wait to try it!

Kimberly

So I’ve made this recipe multiple times (and had coworkers make it multiple times after passing the recipe onto them) and it is truly one of my FAVORITE go to recipes! I went to prep it this morning and when I went to plug my crock pot in my crock pot broke! I am SO saddened! And now I have the entire dish prepped and in my fridge. I’m not sure if there’s another way to cook it? Do you have any thoughts on how to go about oven baking it? Let me know! I am desperate!

Tiffany

Nooooooo!!! Oh my gosh that’s the worst!! 🙁 You could try a couple of different things… 1) bake in a covered casserole dish or 2) on the stove in a covered pot over medium-low heat, stirring periodically. Unfortunately I have no idea how long these methods would take but I would assume less time than the crockpot! I’m so sorry about your crockpot – that’s so sad!

Tiffany

Jessica

emily

I saw this recipe on Brook: Not on a diet http://brookenotonadiet.com/2015/11/02/whats-for-dinner-112-116/#disqus_thread
and decided to give it a try.
Here is my comment I posted on her site:
The Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa is AWESOME!!!!!! We love it. I didn’t read the enchilada sauce label very well and used one medium and one HOT so it was a little spicy but after topping with some light sour cream I didn’t notice it. Plus the next morning I made southwest style scrambled egg beaters and had some of this on the side. So good and didn’t need the sour cream. Will I make this again? ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ps, I used a smaller size can of corn and that worked for us. YUMMMMMMMM!!!!

Tiffany

Janet

Maybe too much liquid as the Canadian and American can sizes are different. BUT! I found that the cream cheese didn’t mix in with the rest of it, once I stirred everything together it got much better! 🙂 I’ve had it 4 days in a row now for my work lunches!

B

Christine

I’ve made this a number of times and everyone loves it! I gave some to a family and they put it in tortillas, but that isn’t all that important. It is filling, has great flavor, and is as easy as it gets. I’ve added chicken to it for the non-vegetarians once or twice as well.

Melanie

I made this as a freezer meal. This means that I put all the ingredients (except the shredded cheese and the toppings) into a freezer bag a few weeks ago. I put it into the crockpot today. I was a little leery because I haven’t had much luck with the quinoa in the crockpot. My family and I LOVED it. They didn’t even notice it was meatless. We ate it on tortillas. They reminded us of Chili Cheese burritos that Taco Bell used to serve, only they were much healthier. I realized later I also accidentally omitted the cream cheese, but it was fine with out it (though it may have made the taste more mild). Those looking for the calories and nutritional profile should look to a similar recipe on myfitnesspal.com by Damned Delicious. This recipe is similar, thought it doesn’t include cream cheese.

Tiffany

Jessica

Love love loved! I left out the cream cheese.. Still amazing! Going to use it to top some baked sweet potatoe . The only thing I’ll do different is add more beans/ less quinoa. It was a bit much for me. Delicious !

Jessica

Love love loved! I left out the cream cheese.. Still amazing! Going to use it to top some baked sweet potatoe . The only thing I’ll do different next time is add more beans/ less quinoa. It was a bit much for me. Delicious !

Colette

KellyL

I saw this recipe yesterday and went to the store to buy the ingredients so that I can make it this weekend. (I can’t wait to try it!!!) I noticed when I got home that the Enchilada sauce that I bought is 19oz. instead of 15oz. Can I use the whole can and omit the water for the quinoa or should I just measure out 15 oz. and use the rest for something else? Thanks!

Tiffany

tiffany

Help!

I made this today after finding the recipe on pinterest. i was so excited to make it , i ran out and retrieved all the ingredients. I did everything right. the only thing i did different maybe was i stirred it around 2.5 hours. The consistency was very, very, very thick. It was also just a solid orange color. I ate some for dinner and it was still great but, i was bummed it didn’t look anything like the photo. The photos it looked more liquidy? it was basically just quinoa with flavor for me 🙂 Still good but, bummed… Any clue on why it would do this?

Dk

This is a good base, but really need some fresh vegetables in it. Added about 1/3 of a head of chopped cauliflower and a zucchini. I also cut the enchilada sauce in half- 1 can was plenty. To make up for the liquid I did only about 2/3 cup of quinoa and added a little bit more water.
I wish I had fresh avocado to top this off- then it would be perfect! It’s like eating a good hearty chilli.

Tina Mazing

I wish I would have used less enchilada sauce as well. Too watery for me. Leaving the lid off for a bit to see if some of the water will cook out. Super yummy but, yes I agree with your statement entirely. More veggies for sure. Maybe even more beans. Mentioning it on my page though 🙂

Alicia

Really glad I made this tonight. It looks just like your pictures and serves plenty! I am impressed with the flavor considering how simple it was to throw together. We added the cumin and garlic powder as you suggested. don’t even miss the meat! Thanks for sharing!

Laura

Loved the enchilada quinoa. What a unique idea and a great way to get my Mexican craving filled without going crazy on calories and carbs! I followed the recipe exactly, except I used pinto beans rather than black beans. I’m thinking next time I might add more beans and maybe skip the corn or keep the corn, who knows, guess it would depend on my mood! Thanks for this fabulous SUPER DUPER easy slow cooker recipe.

Ande

I’m not a huge “leave a comment” person but I must say this is worthy of saying so! . I’ve never made Quinoa before so unsure of what to expect but this stuff is DEVINE!! I just finished the last serving of the first batch I made and tomorrow I’m planning on making this AGAIN. I didn’t add the cumin or garlic and personally don’t feel it needs it. It tastes great on it’s own. However my husband (who prefers a deep flavor profile) would have added more flavor had he been left alone with it ;p I’ve already shared this recipe with 2 friends.
My hubby suggested adding a protein (chicken) and at some point I’ll prob try it but as it stands it is absolutely incredible!

Noah knak

Pamela Roth

I made this Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa yesterday, and it is DELICIOUS!!!! My husband gave the ultimate compliment, “This stuff tastes like it’s bad for you!”
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
Pamela

Heather Speers

Hi, I just made this for the first time. Delicious. But mine came out rather watery/soupy. I had a feeling this was going to be the case as I put it together. When I was adding the last can of Enchilada sauce it didn’t layer but rather just sunk down into the first layer. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you!

Sally Imber

Athena

No, it comes in a can. Closer to canned tomatoes sauce but not enough that you could substitute it. I live in Canada and we found it right with the Other canned goods. It was overpricd though. Over $10 for one. I dont know what that is in australian money.I have a smaller crackpot though so I just used 1 can anyway and it worked out fine.

Leah

Minakshi Sabnani

Just started this so I’ll find out how it is in 7 hours but like another reviewer my second enchilada sauce just sunk in.. Is that supposed to happen? I thought it would sit on top? I wondered about the sauce – the recipe calls for two 15 Oz cans but El paso come in 10oz or 1lb 3oz (19 oz) so I ended up using a big and small. Wondering if maybe it was supposed to be 2 10oz cans? But no one else has questioned it so maybe I just bought the wrong ones?

Minakshi Sabnani

Made this many times since – i now stick to 2 10oz cans of sauce and it still sinks a bit but i’m guessing the top layer with cheese is just for nice display cause it still comes out DELICIOUS no matter which way we do it. I replace the Tomatoes and CHili Can with JUST Fire Roasted Tomatoes so It’s not too SPICY for the kids. Top it with some AVOCADO -So yum!

Nate

Brian

The Slow Cooker Quinoa Enchiladas were super easy to prepare, extremely filling, and very yummy. I divided it up into 4 servings and it was a good amount of calories, but the trade off is the meal really satisfying and sticks with you for a long time. I’m a vegetarian, and I really appreciate the amount of protein in the dish. This meal will be added to our rotation–it is excellent

Deana

I did not expect for this to have much flavor, but I thought I would give it a shot. My mom is a vegetarian and my parents were coming for dinner. I have a nine month old, so I just wanted to throw something in the slow cooker. I found this recipe after Google searching “vegetarian slow cooker recipes”.

Ho. Lee. Moly.

This turned out amazing! Lots of protein and oodles of flavor. The only change I made to the recipe is that I added chili powder because I was afraid it would need more flavor, but it really didn’t need it. Next time I will leave it out. We ate it with tortilla chips, sour cream and fresh avocado chunks. I doubled the recipe so that there would be plenty for five people, and I didn’t need to. TONS of leftovers.

The only thing I would do differently: next time, I will cook for three hours, give it a stir, and THEN add the cheese on top and finish cooking. The cream cheese needed to be stirred into it better, so I ended up just stirring the cheese and all into it. It tasted good, but it would be a prettier dish if it could be scooped out with cheese on top (like the photo).

Thank you for a great vegetarian recipe! We will definitely make this again and again.

Hannah

Tiffany

Ames

Fixed this for dinner tonight. Turned out perfect. I added chicken halfway through. I browned and shredded first. Topped with sour cream, avocado, and cilantro. Will definitely fix again! Quick and simple. The texture was perfect. I know others were saying theirs turned out soupy. I drained beans and corn as recipe instructed. 🙂

Carly

Alyssa Abul-Haj

I’m a pescatarian, and I don’t care for enchiladas usually.
I’m also a terrible terrible cook. My meals are usually premade or microwave.
Now I know I can’t really take credit since making this was pretty much me throwing canned items in a crock pot (first recipe I ever made in a crock pot) but it was the best food item that ever came out of my doing and it really does take five minutes or less! (Depending on how good your can opener is haha!)
Thanks for the great recipe 🙂 can’t wait to try more!

Consuela

I made this yesterday and it was delicious! I added a few chicken breasts to the bottom of the crockpot and shredded them up before serving. My honey was sceptical at first but raved over it after the first bite! He said, “You’re gonna have to make this again!” We ate looking forward to leftovers tonight!

G

I wasn’t so excited to try this recipe and it did not turn out well 🙁 I’m hoping you can give me some guidance. This is only the second time I’ve used my crock pot haha. I followed the recipe exactly, and left it cooking on low while I was at work (7 hours). When I got home and checked on it, it was very very soupy, but also burned around the edges (I didn’t think that would happen on “low”!) Maybe I need to use more quinoa, I’m not sure. Any tips are appreciated.
Thanks! –G

G

Lydia

My macho, 280lb meat-lovin’ hubby and I both have this listed at our top favorite meals I make! I add 4 thin-sliced chicken breasts at the bottom before adding everything else. Then shred before serving. It is soooo good!!!

Sam

Shay

I have made this twice and it is seriously so stinking good. My husband, a tried and true southern with an appetite for plain meat dishes even likes it and requests it. We put sautéed shrimp in the recipe, which my husband liked, but I prefer it meatless. SOOOO yummy. I am adding bell pepper this time around (currently in the crockpot) and we will see how it turns out! Thanks for the bomb recipe!

Angelina

Kenzie

Jessica

Has anyone tried substituting the cream cheese with mashed avocado and lime juice? My 19 year old has gone vegan and I can’t find vegan cream cheese in our local shop. I’ve heard that it makes a good sub but I was curious if anyone had actually tried it “veganized” yet! 😊
As a side note: we’ve made this previously as per the recipe and it was a huge hit!!!

Kathryn

I haven’t tried that in this recipe, but it should be really good, as both of those things will complement the Mexican flavors really well 🙂 Also, if you are still unsure, I see many people have tried this totally without the cream cheese, and it’s turned out good for them.

Anyway, good luck! If you try that substitute, let us know how it goes! Sounds healthier anyway 😊

Heather K.

I make this with vegan cream cheese and it’s awesome!!! It does exactly what I expect dairy cream cheese would do …gets melty and yummy. I secretly did for the chunks of cream cheese.

I eat it with corn chips the day I make it. The next two days (it’s a bit thicker) my husband has lunch burritos with the leftovers. He actually requests his meal, which I’m grateful for when the kids have me running them all over town with after school stuff.

Holly

I’ve made this so many times since I found the recipe several weeks ago, and it’s become a weekly meal for us. It’s amazing! Flavor is incredible. I make it as it says (though I don’t normally add the optional spices or optional ingredients). But that’s what I like about this though is that you can really add anything additional you’d like, though it’s pretty great as is. And I really like that there’s no work to it with exception of just opening the cans and pouring into the crockpot. Super easy delicious meal!

Shellbeee

Pat

This was way better than I expected! Yummy!!! One question I had those with regards to the Quinoa. I used red and it doesn’t really seem like it “cooked” they are more like hard little seeds. Still tasty, just didn’t seem quite right. I’ve made white quinoa before and it did not stay hard.

This is being added to my recipe book, it was very good. I used diced tomatoes with chilis instead of fire roasted (don’t care for fire roasted) but other than that made it exactly according to recipe. Topped with sour cream, next time I’ll add some scallions on top as well. Thanks for sharing!

Carl

This recipe has quickly gone from a new vegetarian recipe to try in our slow cooker to a nearly weekly staple, it’s absolutely delicious. One variation I do is mix the cream cheese with the first can of enchilada sauce with a hand mixer before adding to the slow cooker, it’s extra work but it adds a nice level of creaminess. I’ve also subbed in a can of refried beans for the black beans which was great as well. There’s really no way to go wrong with this recipe, I recommend it to all without reservation.

Liya

Kelly

Made this for a party of both meat eaters & vegetarians – All were in love with it! 10/10 would recommend. Added just a small amount of flour to thicken it up (I had plates on hand, no bowls) and used reduced fat cream cheese. Thanks for a great recipe!

Tiffany

Kristin D

Thank you so much for sharing this! I can’t believe how easy and absolutely delicious this recipe is. I made it on Monday, froze the leftovers, and am making it again tonight for a girls’ night. I will definitely be coming back to your site!

Emma

As a recently new vegetarian, I’ve been looking for new dishes. This was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. I did add a can of kidney beans to bump up the protein, but other than that, I kept it the same. I would add a dollop of plain greek yogurt to the top of each serving to give it some “sour cream”, but it is very very good without it! I definitely recommend!!

Gaylin Fitz

Melissa

This recipe is amazing and so easy! I make this on Sundays now and have it for lunch all throughout the week. It’s even delicious served along corn chips (I love Trader Joe’s) – almost as a dip. Thank you!

Dee

OMG absolutely delicious!! Finished cooking it at 10pm and I decided to go in for a taste, horrible idea! I ended up eating an entire bowl of it! Definitely will make this again for my family! Now I just Need to go buy an avocado to add on top. 😊 Thank you for the wonderful recipe!

Rebecca

Made this a few days ago with a few tweaks and will definitely make again. I couldn’t find enchilada sauce so I used a mix of taco sauce and salsa. I eyeballed the quinoa, not sure if I added more than a cup or if simply cooking it overnight 8 hours caused this, but the edges got kinda burnt, but no worries. I scraped out the middle portion and salvaged most of it and it tasted delicious. Subbed diced red pepper in place of corn, omitted cream cheese and cheese and added about 3/4 cup nutritional yeast to keep it vegan. Mine does not look as wet as these pictures so next time I’d add more liquid, but an easy fix. Nice and hearty, been enjoying it the last few days, both warm when I have access to a microwave, and cold when I am on the go, and it is delicious both ways. Thank you!

Samantha

BHARATI

MichaEla Carroll

I made this tOnight and it was supe sOupy but overall amazing. I am a vegetarian but my boyfriend is Not and he loved it. Because of the soupy consistency i DecideD to make rice and just Scoop the “enchilada chilli” (as my boyfriend Called it) on top. I also just let everyone add theIr own cheeSe on top. I added the CuMin and garlic but also some tumeric and chilli and onion powDerS.

Sarah

Farrahf

This is one of my favorite recipes! I cook a pot and eat it for linch all week. I just got a new instapot thoigh and want to try it out in there for faster cooking. Any recommendations other than saving the dairy for thr end? Cook time/pressure? Should i adjust he liquid do you think?

Lindsey

Mike

Oooo this was so tasty! The only things I changed was that I did two cups of quinoa and a one whole cup of water and I used plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream to top it off. Great recipe, thanks for sharing!

Nicole

Nicole

Nicole

Jacqueline

This is amazing! We threw everything in our slow cooker and let it cook for a few hours. Only changes: we didn’t use cream cheese, I used a jar of mild salsa instead of the enchilada sauce, and I used regular diced tomatoes rather than the spicy ones. We served it over crunched up plain tortilla chips. Yum!

Athena

THIS IS MY ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE RECIPE. Straight up comfort food that doesnt COMPLETELY break my healthy eating. EVERY DAY IS A HAPPY DAY WHEN YOU GET TO EAT QUINOA ENCHILADA😊Unfortunately, the ingredients (especially enchilada sauce) are a Bit too Expensive for THE Weekly rotation. I’m assuming these ingredients are cheaper where the recipe creator lives. I still absolutely love this recipe and plan to make it as often as possible!

Tiffany

Hannah

Unbelivalby Good! i waited to long to cook so i baked in the oven at 325 for 1.5 hours. Topped it off with fresh cilantro, paste tomaotes, avocado, sour cream and more cheese. They all want more. I’d add a picdture if I could because it was great.

jessica shoup

I like the recipes but wanted to comment on the website having ads that cover up parts of recipes and take up lots of space. Also the layout of the page makes it difficult to view the actual recipe. The pictures of the food are giant and the text is too spread out. Its not an easy page to navigate.

Tiffany

Bill

Christina

Soo i order my groceries from whole foods and i ACCIDENTALLY got refried BLACK beans instead of whole black beans. I dont want To go to the store lol. How do you THINK It will turn out with refried?? 👀

Tiffany

Hi Christina- darn it! I hate when I accidentally order the wrong item! Sadly, I do that more than I’d like to admit! I don’t think refried will work well, however! Sorry!! Definitely use whole black beans with this for the right outcome!

Tiffany

Melissa

I did it yesterday and it turned out great! I added everything to the pot and cooked at low pressure for 12 minutes then natural release pressure for 10–15 minutes. The only thing i might do next time is spray the boTTom of the pot with some nonstick spray first.